


Clatter and Clink

by merryfortune



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Alcohol, Canon Compliant, Cussing, Missing Scene, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 11:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21391279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryfortune/pseuds/merryfortune
Summary: "Are we... parents now?"
Relationships: Dr. Genome/Faust/Taki Kyoko
Kudos: 16





	Clatter and Clink

“Are we... parents now?” Kyoko asked, horrified, collapsing onto the white lounge, her face in her hands. She kicked up her feet a little bit for drama because she enjoyed extraneous movements under stress, it seemed.

She had spent the better part of two hours on the edge of a heart attack because Ryoken had run off as he had: not only in the middle of the night after a huge blow out argument but in the middle of the worst thunderstorm in months, too. Now, he was back and for better or worse, he wasn’t alone. He had come back with a little friend in tow. And not only was he some lost little kid, he was one of _the_ lost little kids from the Experiment. She couldn’t believe it.

Nor could Aso.

Genome, however, was more than willing to suspend his disbelief on this one. That kid was fucking weird, after all. They all recalled those six months of torture – or bliss, if you were this tyke.

But they had to believe it. They were the ones who had towel-dried him and Ryoken down this awful and cold evening where rain was still an onslaught upon Den City outside.

Still, Kyoko had asked a rather intriguing question. Aso sat down with Kyoko on the lounge, he was careful with the two glasses of white wine that he had poured. He gave one to Kyoko who smiled. She was still a collegiate girl at heart; a bottle of passion pop for her to down would have been better than the nice and charming and sparkling drink that Aso had been so kind to fetch her. So, she smiled bitterly as she drank it. Something she could scull was almost preferred. She thinks that she wants to be drunk for the remainder of this bizarre night.

“I don’t think so.” Aso said with a philosophical expression as his lips met the rim of the wine glass. As per usual, he spoke with this odd sort of wisdom which made him seem even older than he was – and he only had about a decade on top of Kyoko and Genome between them.

“But then again,” Kyoko said, lifting her head out of her hands, her brow becoming serious, “if I was to be a parent, I would want it to be with you.”

“And me!” Genome barked from the kitchen; he seemed to be supervising... something. Regardless, he was still huffy in his jocular way. “I’m offended. You two can be as mutually exclusive as you like, but I’m inserting myself in, you can’t change my mind.”

Kyoko laughed. She couldn’t believe she was laughing in this absurd situation. “Yes, yes, dear, that’s why we love you.”

However, instead of taking her bait, Genome changed the subject, he raised his voice again: “Quick, fellow parental units, should we be letting Ryoken use a knife?”

“Fuck if I know.” Kyoko moaned in her hands.

“For now, sure. Why? What’s he doing?” Aso asked, craning his neck.

“Making sandwiches.” Genome blithely informed them both.

Kyoko flapped her free hand about. “That sounds fine. I think I was making sandwiches for myself when I was eight. It’s probably fine.”

“Yeah, it’s fine for Ryoken to be using a knife.” Aso called out.

“Thank you, Aso-oji-san.” Ryoken sang out and then, in a loud but still quite hushed voice, he added to his companion: “That’s Aso-oji-san, he’s really nice. Genome-oji-san is a bit scary but he’s cool. You’ll like ‘em both, and of course there’s Kyoko-nee-chan, she’s really nice. You’ll love her.”

His companion merely stared at him upon being told that. He seemed rather distrustful to say the least, but he preferred minimal contact with adults anyway, so it was probably fine.

Genome joined the other two in the attached loungeroom – though, it was all attached in the sense that nothing was attached thanks to being spaciously modern with a free-flowing floor plan. In his hand, unlike those two, he had a red wine. That’s just how his tannins were. Then, to annoy them, he sat down on the lounge as well rather than the adjacent recliner so that they would all be comfortable, but he was an annoying eccentric like that.

“So. Parents. Are we?” he asked before taking an ungraceful slurp of his red wine as though it were soft drink.

“I think we are. We’re in charge of two children now.” Kyoko said.

“One child. We’ll get rid of the other in the morning.”

“Oh? We’re escalating to child murder, are we? Fantastic, I’ll get the shovel.” Genome said, hysterical, poking fun at him.

Aso groaned. “Not what I meant. And you know it.” He huffed. “I’m sure this boy’s parents are worried sick about him going missing again.” Aso said.

“I dunno…” Genome murmured, warning. He wolf-whistled. “Oi, kids! You, one who is not Ryoken, where’re your folks?”

“My who?” the child said, creeping out of the kitchen with a sheepish expression. “I have a Mother, but she was killed by humans…”

Genome beamed upon hearing that. Kyoko and Aso, meanwhile, exchanged a funny look. That was… not the answer they were expecting. Moreover, they were unsettled by the boy’s use of “humans” over, well, any other word choice. Perhaps murderer or burglar or hell, even father.

“…Explain.” Kyoko regrettably piped up.

Ryoken came around the bend. “Let’s eat in the living room – we’re allowed to, for tonight, only tonight?” His eyes were pleading.

“For tonight only.” Aso confirmed.

The two kids then piled onto the floor at their feet with a plate each of rather messily made sandwiches. Ryoken ate his while his friend tried to find his words.

“Mother was killed by humans. I don’t know why… Maybe she was too big… She was the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen…” the boy murmured.

“…Tree?” Kyoko picked up on.

“Yeah, she was huge! Bigger than this house!” The boy threw his hands in the air for emphasis. “She protected me when no one else would… I live at an orphanage, please don’t make me go back there! The kids hate me, and the matrons find me creepy… I bet they won’t even come looking for me this time.” His eyes lit up. “Oh! Thank you, by the way! Thank you so much for rescuing me from the orphanage the first time ‘round. I want my happy times to continue so please, I want to keep duelling. It was so much fun! …Even when I couldn’t see my Mother.”

“Yeah, I think we should keep him. What’s another mouth to feed?” Genome said, far too hasty.

“What’s your name, boy?” Aso asked.

“Don’t have one.” The kid shrugged before stuffing his mouth with his sandwich.

“If we name him, I think that makes us his parents.” Genome said, very smart.

Aso scowled. “He’s six and lives at an orphanage. He’s pulling our leg, I’m sure he has a name.” he scolded Genome but the fact that the boy in question didn’t laugh did not bode well as an omen in Aso’s favour of his deduction. A child who was a trickster would likely not be able to resist laughing when his joke fell apart.

“Well, regardless, I now dub thee,” Kyoko made a hand gesture to Genome, “Papa,” and then to Aso, “Daddy. And myself, Mama.”

“Naw, you’re Kyoko-nee-chan.” Ryoken scolded her.

His friend giggled. He had an odd face, that boy. Laughter looked bizarrely sinister on him.

“That still makes us responsible for you two, though.” Kyoko sighed. She lifted her glass with a dejected demeanour about her. “To us?”

“To us.” Aso and Genome clinked their own glasses against hers.

The clatter was strangely pleasant unto their ears. It felt like more than a joke or a jape. In a way, they had all addressed something which had been bothering them for a while now, perhaps about six months, even. They were ridiculously close in rather odd ways. Perhaps it was time to simply accept their situation as it was, no matter how depressing and convoluted. Hence, why they found a peculiar peace in the way glass echoed and chinked off more glass and how wine slurred around. After all, the waters of the womb had nothing on the blood of the covenant. It was satisfying in ways the children, owlishly looking up and onto them, didn’t quite understand. They certainly didn’t understand the way they drank such foul-smelling drinks so eagerly either.


End file.
